Are you looking for a diet that helps you to lose weight, eat healthier, or manage or prevent health problems? I have the answer for you.
In the latest U.S. News & World Report’s Best Diets 2012, experts examined 25 diet plans and rated them in seven different ways.
And the winner is?
Excellent news for prostate cancer patients whose cancer has progressed after hormonal treatment and chemotherapy!
An experimental oral agent, MDV3100 (Medivation) was found to improve survival in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer by 4.8 months
The new agent, called MDV3100, is a more potent and more specific antiandrogens than the older ones such as flutamide (Drogenil) and bicalutamide (Casodex).
It also does not posses any agonist activity and does not stimulate prostate cancer growth, an unwanted adverse effect which is found in some older antiandrogen compounds.
This is not only good news for all prostate cancer patients, but is also good news for all cancer patients.
The investigational radiopharmaceutical radium-223 chloride (Alpharadin) has recently been shown to improve survival in patients with advanced prostate cancer and bone metastases. This agent could potentially be used in other cancer patients to extend their lives.
The beauty of this product is that it is highly targeted for bone metastases; so this product will be valuable for many different Stage IV cancers patients whose cancers have spread to bones.
Radium-223 chloride works by releasing minute, highly charged, targeted doses of radiation (alpha particles) that are highly lethal to cancer cancers but have a short penetration. This specific targeting delivers radiation to the bone metastases and minimizes the damage done elsewhere.
Good news for chocolate lovers!! A new study reported that chocolate is beneficial to the heart and the brain.
The investigators performed an analysis on 7 studies to evaluate the effects of chocolate consumptions in various forms (such as chocolate bars, chocolate drinks, and chocolate snacks such as confectionary, biscuits, desserts and nutritional supplements) on overall health.
The results showed that high levels of chocolate consumption was associated with a 37% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 29% lower risk of stroke when compared with individuals who ate the least amount of chocolate. The study, however, did not find any association between chocolate consumption and the risk of heart failure or the risk of diabetes.
Good news for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)! If you have NSCLC, you might like to ask your oncologist to check whether you have high expression of EGFR. Patients with high EGFR expression represented about 25 percent of people with NSCLC.
A new study presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer meeting showed that non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who had high EGFR expression and received cetuximab (Erbitux) and standard chemotherapy lived 2.4 months longer than those in a control group.
The new analysis is part of the FLEX trial which evaluated the effects of cetuximab on patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
We all love barbecue, but a study suggested eating too much barbecued meat might increase the risk of kidney cancer (Renal Cell Carcinoma).
Barbecue involves cooking meat at high temperatures. However, cooking meat at high temperatures might result in the formation and ingestion of carcinogenic compounds, including heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Given the kidney’s role in metabolism and urinary excretion of these compounds, it is possible that these carcinogens might increase the risk of kidney cancer. Now a new study published at the British Journal of Cancer has confirmed this hypothesis.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is one of the common malignant tumors worldwide.
In the United States, the age-standardized incidence rates of NHL per 100,000 persons in 2008 were 16.3 in men and 11.5 in women. The National Cancer Institute previously predicted that ~65,540 people would be diagnosed with NHL in 2010, representing the fifth most common malignancy, and 20,210 people would die of this disease.
While the incidence of NHL inJapanhas almost doubled in the last three decades, these are nevertheless less than half those in Western countries. It is suspected both underlying medical conditions and environmental factors are related to the development of this cancer.
The global incidence of tendinitis is increasing as the population ages. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis or metabolic diseases such as diabetes are at increased risk of having tendinitis.
Tendinitis is a form of tendon inflammation that causes pain and tenderness close to the joints, and it is particularly common in the shoulders, elbows, knees, hips, heels, and wrists. Tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, and Achilles tendon injury are all examples of common tendon disease.
If you have tendinitis, you might like to consider eating curry for lunch or dinner next time. A new study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry indicated that curcumin, which gives the curry spice turmeric its bright yellow color, could be helpful in reducing the inflammation and the pain associated with tendinitis and arthritis.
If you have yellowish, flat plagues on the upper or lower eyelid (Xanthelasmata), you might like to see a cardiologist.
A new study published in BMJ indicated that occurrence of xanthelasmata is linked to an increased risk of mycardial infarction (MI), ischemic heart disease, and death.
The study included 12,745 people who were followed for 33 years (from 1976 to 1978 until May 2009).
Results showed that participants who had xanthelasmata had an increased risk of MI, ischemic heart disease, severe atherosclerosis, and death compared with individuals without xanthelasmata.
If you are diabetes, you might like join a yoga class.
A new study published in Diabetes Care reported that gentle yoga classes may help people with type 2 diabetes to reduce weight and to improve their glycemic control.
The study, involving 123 middle-aged and older diabetic patients, found that those who added yoga classes to standard diabetes care experienced a mild reduction in their body mass index (reduced by 0.4) in three months and was able to maintain their blood glucose level.
The yoga used in this study, however, was a gentle form, and parts of the practice were adapted for people who had additional health problems. For example, certain poses were avoided in people who had heart disease.
